Musical musings

There's been a lot of talk about the re-formation of the old boy band Take That on the radio lately. As I usually listen to the radio while doing the chores in the stable I can't help but hear and make some personal reflections over it.

I find this whole boy-/girl band phenomena quite fascinating. Most fascinating of all in my opinion is how people can actually tell the bands apart. To me, they all seem to be same same, without any difference, other than maybe their accents.

Firstly, they're all built up around the same sort of line-up. There's always a "cute pretty-boy"; a "sensitive, poetically inclined guy with slightly brooding eyes"; a "hip/cool guy with street attitude"; a "bad boy" and then most often a fifth member that is cast in various other roles but seldom especially noticeable.
Backstreet boys is, to me, a glaringly obvious example of these roles. They had five members when they first began. There was Nick, the "cute pretty-boy"; Brian, the "sensitive, poetically inclined guy"; A.J, the "cool guy", Kevin, the "bad boy" and Howie (whom I really never got a hang of, not being that into the band more than to note these stereotypical roles). Looking at pics today I can't help but wonder if he was cast in the role as the "open-minded, sweet friend".

Secondly, the bands usually deal with the same type of lyrics about love, pain, romance and various other, to me quite sappy, subjects. And all of them seem to have eaten chalk to get those soft, sweet voices supposed to caress the ears of the adoring audience. Personally I've always felt sleepy when hearing it, unless I'm busy cringing over the complete lack of depth and originality in their lyrics. Or, for that matter, the paradox of hearing the "bad boy" sing like that. While he may look the part, the part doesn't fit into the music they sing.

And thirdly, they always do those, yet again in my opinion, silly little choreographed dances, all the while smiling soulfully/wickedly/sweetly and so on according to their roles and what they're singing at the time. I do admit that I have sometimes felt impressed by their stamina and agility while doing those choreographies, but since the steps are so similar between bands I actually haven't paid enough attention to the actual techniques.

To return to the first part of this post, Take That was a bit before my time, but not that much before it (Boyzone and later Backstreet Boys were the big boy bands during my teenage years). Still, I've heard enough of Take That's early works to be able to discern some patterns. I think that what they had going for them was, as one of the main things, the rather distinctive voice of Robbie Williams. I'm not surprised he's managed to do so well on his own. Other than that they all had the looks "suitable" for a boy band, attracting teenage girls of most types. However, looking at their pictures today, after the re-formation, I just have to raise the question... Can they still be considered a boy band? They're far from pretty any longer, a few of them could be what is politely called "distinguished" and, granted, Robbie Williams seems to have either been graced by good genes or plastic surgery (I don't know enough to say which although I suspect a little bit of both), but overall there's no getting around it. They're middle aged men trying to sing like they did xx years ago. Once again, what they have going for them is Robbie Williams's voice. Listening to their new release "The Flood" however makes it glaringly obvious to me that whatever they once were as a band, Robbie Williams has grown too large for them. Meaning that while one almost immediately recognises Williams's voice, the others feel more like background noise, indistinguishable from each other and without any specific trait to mark one from the other. So, rather than the re-formed Take That, it feels like it's Robbie Williams and his back-up crew. I might be overly harsh and some might argue that I'm way off my rocker and out of line for saying it, but that's what it feels like. So once again I raise a question, if a once popular boy band re-form after xx amount of years doing their own stuff separate from each other, what genre would they then belong to? And why do it? Boy bands have a best before date nowadays. Just like so much of the music today.

Which brings me to my second reflection:
I once got into a discussion with my teacher about music. I said that I didn't think there had been any actually good music released in the western market since 1995. I still mostly stand by that opinion, even though I've since had to admit there are some exceptions to the general rule (the song Hero of War by Rise Against being a most obvious such exception to me, thanks to its very interesting lyrics and the simple music supporting it).

The thing is, I generally feel that with the music of (mainly) the 60's and 70's the artists had a cause. They often used music to raise the overall awareness of what went on in the world. Issues like war, injustice, bigotry and so on came alive in the songs and together, the song and the meaning behind it, made a whole. And since the artists really believed in what they sang the songs have an impact even today, even if some of the issues might not be very topical of today's society.

If I was to put a picture or metaphor to the different decades of music I'd say that the 60's and 70's were all about fire and glam. Fiery passion, beliefs and the hope to make a difference. Or glitter, glamour and sass.
The music of the 80's and 90's feels a little bit dirty, gritty like the aftermath of the heated glamour-party of their predecessors. Like a sequinned dress lying forgotten on the dance floor among deflated balloons and leftover food, with a bottle of alcohol next to it.
The music of the late 90's to the present feels, to me, like plastic, like Tupperware. Practical, useful for the moment but easily discarded and forgotten. Mass-produced music with recycled or nonsensical lyrics, lacking most of any real content or feeling, has become mainstream and a song's worth seems to be judged by how often it is played on the radio in a day, never mind the fact that the song doesn't sound much different from any other song that day. Meticulously manufactured, uniform music is practically flooding the Western world with the aroma of American Idol (and its' spin-offs). If music is supposed to reflect the people and the contemporary society... what does it say about us that the hit lists are topped by these recycled, easy-listening kind of songs?

Another annoying night

Maybe I should rename this blog "The rants of an annoying Neighbour's blog".

It's 2:42 am on a Thursday night... And guess who's so graciously granting me the fine favour of lusciously adorning my, up until now, peaceful night with heavy base beats, some crappy wannabe gangster singing (well more like talking with some quite unnatural wailing in between) about the same old same old... Fast money, sexy booties and shiny cars, all slapped together to the same old beat one's heard in more songs than I care to remember if I'm to retain my sanity. Seems like the lyricists are making good money with their copying machines these days.

It's always nice to know they're not breaking their backs trying to come up with innovative and original lyrics for the volley of artists with more money and good PR people than talent or originality waiting for their mass produced chain-mails. And my my, what a delightful surprise to see that my neighbour's taste in music is consistent bordering on manic. As long as he and the likes of him are around those artists won't have to worry about people with actual quality demands on the music industry threatening to throw them out of their humble XXX room houses. And most likely they won't have to worry about their over-pimped cars being reclaimed and pitifully sold off to people with more money than taste.

It's always good to know the world stays the same if I may say so, sarcastic and caustic as I may feel at this certain point in time. Quantity wins over quality and there are always inconsiderate idiots without a sliver of regard or thought for the people who might not share their taste in certain areas of life.

And I've long ago reached a point where I honestly can't find the energy, nor respect, to actually go over and ask my neighbour to shut the hell up. I've done that enough times already, tearing my hair and having to hear that little twerp mouth back at me when I reminded him that some people actually like a bit of quiet in the wee hours of weekday nights.

I've long since given up on fretting over the fact that he just cranks up the volume at weekends. That's the fine part of living in a student-infested area. Weekends are parties all over, although most of them actually have the good sense and inventiveness to relocate to more suitable locations before the clock strikes midnight. I wonder if a casual mention of the clubs around town would bring about an at least moderately favourable response. I doubt it though but, even as sanity and good nature flees more for each night I hear that shit, one cannot help but hold a slight sliver of hope for mankind. Even in the face of the chilling realisation that mankind has been going to hell in a hand basket for years.

And now I shall cease my depressing rant. I sound like a 90 y/o hag in her rocking chair scowling at the youth of today.

Group pressure vs Cat 1-0

Everybody seems to be blogging these days. So who am I to play the rebel? Even though I have no idea what to write, how to write, which language to write in or even if I should spread my words where unsuspecting souls might stumble upon them...

"I blog therefore I am" or something such seems to be the theme of our generation.

Today we had another one of those oh so lovely winter days here in northern Sweden. I'm talking about snow dust and so much ice the Swedish national hockey league would've been able to practise comfortably. And, of course, idiots in expensive tin cans thinking that absolutely everyone drives cars with anti-spin and ABS-breaks. It was moderately amusing to drive along the E4 highway surrounded by people whose lives are so important that they happily risk everything and everyone just to get home half a minute earlier than they would've if they'd driven sensibly. Apparently it's crucial to spare that half of a minute on Fridays.

Anyway, I managed to drive home from the stables physically, if not mentally, unharmed. I guess I can view that as a small victory in a very large war.

As most of you probably have noticed way before I did it's Friday today, at least here in Sweden. And poor student that I am I will spend yet another Friday night mooching off the alcohol fumes that, like a dark menacing cloud on the horizon of my mental peace, are leaking out from my neighbour's apartment. I've said it before and will most likely say it again...

Once upon a time I used to dislike R'n'B. Then came my neighbour. And now, whenever I hear that specific brand of music, I am overcome with a desperate urge to grab the closest axe, rush outside and swing it mindlessly at anything and anyone in my vicinity. Preferably that anyone would be my neighbour but I'm not picky. Once I'd tired myself out with this quite counter-productive activity I would then crawl into a dark corner and rock back and forth, sobbing pathetically while muttering that 50 Cent told me to do it.

It'll be quite interesting to see where tomorrow finds me.